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A general view inside Rod Laver Arena at sunset during the Men’s Singles Final match betwen Novak Djokovic of Serbia and Rafael Nadal of Spain during day 14 of the 2019 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)
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A general view inside Rod Laver Arena at sunset during the Men’s Singles Final match betwen Novak Djokovic of Serbia and Rafael Nadal of Spain during day 14 of the 2019 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)
Not much time has passed since the infamous incident that took place at the US Open 2020 with Novak Djokovic. A slight error on Djoker’s part led to his disqualification from the tournament. However, the World No.1 will be happy after the management in Melbourne announced a significant change at the Australian Open 2021.
The organizers of the Australian Open have decided to use ‘hawk-eye’ technology for line calls at the upcoming Grand Slam. There was a discussion going on whether to replace the on-court officials with the technology, especially on the non-clay tournaments. After the mishap at the US Open, even Novak Djokovic had advocated for the same thing.
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SEPTEMBER 06: Novak Djokovic of Serbia tends to a line judge Laura Clark who was hit with the ball during his Men’s Singles fourth round match against Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain. September 6, 2020 in the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
The decision to use technology instead of referees is not exactly new. In the tournaments that took place post the long break, there was a reduction in the number of referees on the court to avoid infections. This happened at the US Open, Cincinnati Masters, and even at the Masters Cup 2020.
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However, the Electronic Line Calling technology will only be available at the main tournament. The officials will continue to officiate the matches at the qualifying stages of the Australian Open taking place in Dubai and Doha.
Read More: Novak Djokovic begins training in Marbella to defend title at Australian Open 2021
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Will the technology be really beneficial at the Australian Open 2021?
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The giant Australian Open logo. Full of tennis balls ahead of the 2019 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 05, 2019 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Michael Dodge/Getty Images)
The World No.1 Novak Djokovic had even said in an early interview that it was high time for technology to take over the sport. Of course, he was one of the favorites to win the US Open 2020 and thus, was not at all happy with what happened to him.
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Believe it or not, this is a clear-cut indication that tennis is slowly moving towards hawk-eye. Although it takes time, it gives precision and every player will eventually learn to accept the verdict given by the hawk-eye. If it becomes a success at the Australian Open 2021, the day is not far when it will become relevant even on the clay surfaces.
Also Read: Australian Open releases strict protocols amid COVID-19 pandemic
